In case the estimated 99 percent of processed comments speaking at least partially in favor of net neutrality doesn't send a strong enough message to the Federal Communications Commission, web activists around the U.S. are breaking camp and heading out in hordes to to make the final push for a free and open Internet.
The question is whether large organizations should be given the opportunity to pay for prioritized connection speeds to deliver services to consumers. Net neutrality proponents don't think it should be an option and have been asking for the FCC to iron out hardline legislation that prevents the spread of such practices. But the rules the FCC has drafted and is threatening to impose may only offer loose oversight on the practice.
Approximately 1.1 million comments have been submitted to the FCC during the period of time the commission set aside for consumers to take a stance on the net neutrality. Of those 1.1 million submitted remarks, the Sunlight Foundation has processed 800,000 through its machine-learning software to gauge each comment's stance on net neutrality.
Less than 1 percent of the comments processed by the Sunlight Foundation were against a free and open Internet. Approximately 60 percent of the comments were generated from campaigns headed by net neutrality advocates and as many as 200 were submitted by law firms.
The Sunlight Foundation's machine-learning software determined two-thirds of the comments explicitly spoke against "paid priority for Internet" traffic and about half of the remarks considered the Internet an essential freedom. Some of the comments appeared to have been heavily influenced by a segment on John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight," in which the host of the satirical week in review advocated net neutrality and suggested there were some ties between FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and an Australian dingo.
"These included comments calling for the resignation of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler or other FCC commissioners or staff (about 2,500 comments), and people either mentioning John Oliver by name or using the words "dingo" or "f*ckery," again typically directed at Tom Wheeler, comprising about 1,500 comments, and likely motivated by usage of these terms in Oliver's net neutrality segment," states the Sunlight Foundation.
The deadline for the last round of comments for or against a neutral Internet is Sept. 15. Individuals wishing to express their opinions on the matter may visit the FCC's website to do so.
Meanwhile, Battleforthenet and other web-based advocates of net neutrality have been stepping up efforts to put the issue before all Americans. Battleforthenet has been asking webmasters to display a mock up of a loading banner to show what poor legislation could do to the Internet.
"We realize it's a big ask, but this is the kind of bad Internet legislation that comes along (or gets this close to passing) once a decade or so," Battle For The Net said. "If it passes we'll be kicking ourselves for decades -- every time a favorite site gets relegated to the slow lane, and every time we have to rework or abandon a project because of the uncertain costs paid prioritization creates. Doing the most we can right now seems like the only rational step."
